2.25.2012

This morning we headed out to the MCFG range to test my P22 and the mods I did to the Charter Arms Explorer II pistol. Thursday night, I cleaned and checked over the P22 and shimmed the front of the trigger guard on the Charter to help the feed alignment issue. I also had an issue with the removable front sight on the P22 coming loose. A bit of surface prep and then a dab of JB Weld took care of that issue.

The only other issue that occurred was the slide did not always lock back. I know this mag is one of the first generation and they had issues. I'll call Walther on Monday and see what they say. All things considered, I'm really happy with my purchase. It's more accurate than I am and has a great DA/SA trigger. 22lr is not a great carry round but I would be comfortable with the P22 loaded up with the Winchester Super X 40g HV RN. I need to pick up another magazine and a discrete holster for backpacking.

The Charter Arms Explorer II actually fed well, especially with the HV ammo. The mag shim could be a bit thicker but it needs to be remade anyway. I doubt my aluminium shim (from a coke can) and electrical tape will last too long. Time to order a new rear sight and some more mags. It's actually a really fun gun to shoot. Guess it's a keeper! It will probably get thrown into my go-bag since it weighs nothing.

Shooting stuff is always fun and at $7 for 100 rounds, it's easy on the budget.

2.21.2012

I set out on Sunday with the Mrs to shop for a new carry gun. I had a few ideas of what I wanted but couldn't settle on anything. I looked at PF9s, a Taurus 85 and a few others but nothing jumped out at me except a used P22. I've been wanting a fun 22lr that's light enough to throw in with my camping gear for solo trips and I think the P22 fits the bill.

It's got some scratches and a bit of wear but nothing I'm worried about. The front site is going to get replaced with a red fiber optic once they're back in stock. Need to track down some mags too. Plus, it has a GemTech adapter, so I guess I'll have to get a can for it now. =]

This weekend, we're going to the MCFG range to test it out. Plus, the Mrs needs to put some rounds through the .357 snubbie since she will have her carry permit in a few weeks. I plan on joining MCFG in March it will be nice to finally be a member and the Mrs and I can shoot on our own schedule (to some extent).

2.13.2012

For my friend's birthday on Saturday, we headed to Camp Atterbury's range. I loaded up my gear, piled on the layers and we hit the road. On the way, we decided to stop at a little gun store past the base. It was called something like Bud's Bait & Guns. The vast inventory included, a few pellet guns, a muzzle loader and some Jimenez pistols. Hmmm, not exactly what we expected.

After back tracking to the range, we get walked through the rules and are assigned our spots on the 100 yard range. Targets up and the range is hot. I shot the 22 rifle for a bit and then started to put rounds through my friends SKS. He wanted to put at least a 100 through it to get a feel for it. Loading the stripper clips into the internal mag takes some effort, especially wearing gloves. Over all, the rifle did well with a few errors. Mostly due to poor loading skills on my part. I did learn something that day. Shooting at 100 yards, in the freezing cold with an SKS, I am a terrible shot. Unfortunately, if you take away the distance and improve the weather, I'm still not a good shot. Maybe we can fix that this year.

We took a break to warm up in the cars, get some snacks and then headed to the trap range. $6 for 25 clay pigeon round seems like a good deal. It's voice activated (or push button) and I learned the hard way that disappointed commentary after a missed shot will activate the system before you are ready. Using my 18" 16ga with no sights, I got 5 out of 23 (2 accidental launches). Not to bad for my 2nd time trying to shoot trap.

All in all it was a great day out, even if I couldn't feel my fingers and toes.

We did hit a larger gun store on the way back. I got to handle the new Taurus polymer 38 and 357. The 357 had the normal Taurus pre cleaning trigger, felt like dragging a cement block with one finger. The 38 on the other hand felt smooth and crisp, too bad the lock up was a bit hinky. I dig the low budget polymer revolvers but you'd definitely have to hand pick which one to buy. I'm not sold on a new carry gun yet. Still can't decide between a slim 9mm (PF9 etc) or a 38 snub. We already have a 7 shot 357 snub so, I'm leaning towards the slim 9mm. Something to throw in my jacket pocket or IWB and not worry about.

2.09.2012

Last week, my best friend lost his father. Larry was my friend, range buddy and one of the few good male role models I had growing up. He shot frequently at the Marion County Fish and Game range with his son. They invited me to join the range, come over for steel or pin shooting but I always seemed to be too busy or broke to take part.

Thankfully, the three of us got to go to the range one last time. It was snowing like crazy and got so bad that we had to stop shooting for about 10 minutes because of a complete white-out. We always seemed to do most of shooting in the winter. It was a great time.